Chapter 31: Holding Fast to the Mean

To Hou Junji, the surrounding barbarians were nothing to fear; Emperor Yang of Sui's three failed campaigns against Goguryeo were entirely due to the Emperor's own blind command.

Hou Junji's self-confidence was cultivated entirely through one victory after another.

Regarding Hou Junji's claims, Li Chengqian did not argue; he did not understand the battlefield.

The "charging and killing" Hou Junji spoke of likely involved a great deal of preparatory work; if Hou Junji were truly a mediocrity, he would not have ascended to the Lingyan Pavilion.

"Has the Emperor looked for you to talk recently?"

Hou Junji shook his head: "No! I also find it strange; logically speaking, for someone like me, no matter what the Emperor says, he should be slowly stripping away my military power.

Yet, there has been no action to this day, and he even let me participate in the eastern expedition against Goguryeo; the more I think about it, the more wrong it feels."

"Will troops be transferred from Liangzhou this time?"

Hou Junji nodded slightly: "Yes, this time troops will be transferred from north of the Yellow River; after all, there is much farmland south of the Yellow River."

Upon hearing this, a flash of light crossed Li Chengqian's eyes:

"You should also find an opportunity to go to Goguryeo this time, and then request from the Emperor to be in command of the Liangzhou garrison troops."

"Your Highness! The original Grand Governor of Liangzhou was Yuwen Shiji, and the Emperor has not yet found a suitable candidate.

Liangzhou controls the throat of five commanderies, and that place faces the vast desert directly; it is truly too important.

The Emperor will not agree to let me command the Liangzhou troops, and the Guanlong Aristocratic Group will not agree either."

"Try it! I haven't found a suitable person to lead the Yin Family troops yet, and I need to see the Emperor's attitude."

Hou Junji nodded solemnly: "Very well! I will find an opportunity to petition the Emperor.

Li Anyan has already been transferred away from Chang'an by the Emperor; he wants to see the Crown Prince once."

Li Chengqian pinched the bridge of his nose; Li Anyan, Zhao Jie, Li Yuanchang, and others had conspired to rebel with his original self, each for their own purposes.

They did not have military power like Hou Junji, nor were they loyal like Du He; Li Chengqian really did not want to see them.

But if he did not see them, what would those standing by Li Chengqian's side think? Li Chengqian had no choice but to see them.

"Where was he transferred to?"

"Lingnan Circuit!"

Li Chengqian suddenly raised his head: "Lingnan? Are you sure it's Lingnan?"

"Naturally! The Emperor has exiled him! It is a pity he still has a ninety-year-old father at home; I don't know if he will have the chance to return to attend his funeral."

"Ask him to come to the Eastern Palace tomorrow; tell him the Eastern Palace will take good care of his family."

After speaking, Li Chengqian took out two things from behind him: a square black wooden board and a white charcoal pencil.

"I need you to do one thing: use these two items to have all the soldiers under you learn the Thousand Character Classic and the Official Language.

It doesn't need to be fast, but it must be done discreetly; it is enough if they learn to write home letters or intelligence reports independently."

"There are scribes in the army; for soldiers to learn this is putting the cart before the horse..."

Before he could finish, Li Chengqian spoke up to interrupt him:

"I have a great use for it! If you are unwilling, I will find someone else; if you accept the mission, you must complete it earnestly."

"Very well! I will arrange it after I return."

"This matter is not urgent; it will be fine to arrange it after you return from Goguryeo. Currently, the most important thing is to find Sun Simiao."

"The Medicine King Sun Simiao?"

Hou Junji exclaimed: "Your Highness, where can one find such a god-like figure? And once found, how can we invite him to Chang'an?

When the Emperor invited him to come before, he had to be bound and brought here; otherwise, he would never have come to see the Emperor."

"You tell him that I intend to establish Huimin Pharmacies throughout the Great Tang so that the common people of the world will no longer suffer from illness and injury, and invite him to enter Chang'an to fill the gaps and make corrections.

If he still won't come after that, bind him and bring him into Chang'an."

"I will try!"

The Huimin Pharmacy was merely a pie in the sky for Sun Simiao; with Li Chengqian's current ability, he could not yet achieve it.

However, since Sun Simiao was both a physician and a Daoist, relying on Li Chunfeng alone was not enough; he needed more Daoists.

Not long after Hou Junji left, Su Xi walked in holding a four or five-year-old boy, with Li Xiang following behind.

Seeing this family all gathered, Li Chengqian could not help but ask in confusion:

"What happened? Why have you all come!"

"It's all because of the good deed you did!"

As she spoke, Su Xi pushed the little boy in front of her:

"Your son has been crying all day today; his eyes are swollen from crying!"

Li Chengqian looked at Li Jue's reddened eye sockets, his brows slightly furrowed:

"What happened? Dalaing, you tell me."

Li Xiang was somewhat embarrassed; he lowered his head and stammered to explain:

"Today I went into the palace to pay respects to the Grand Ancestor, and when I returned, I ran into Boyue, who said that the second brother's name means something in the Turkic language."

"..."

Li Chengqian was speechless: "Just because of this? You all think it's like that?"

"Isn't it?"

Su Xi asked in return: "You treated the Turkic people with courtesy for the past few years; anyone would think in that direction."

"Sigh! A bunch of illiterates; you've all read your books into a dog's belly!"

Li Chengqian walked to Li Jue and squatted down, looking at him with a serious expression:

"Er'lang, remember your father's words today; your name is cited by your father from the words in the 'Counsels of the Great Yu'."

'The mind of the Dao is subtle and abstruse; the human mind is dangerous. Be refined and be one; hold fast to the Mean.'

Your father hopes you can know that good and evil are only in a single thought; the most dangerous thing in the world is the human heart, and the most terrifying thing is also the human heart."

"The meaning of Jue is stone; I hope you can be as firm as a stone and always maintain an upright heart and mind."

Li Jue raised his head and stared blankly at Li Chengqian: "Really? It really doesn't mean Turkic?"

Li Chengqian stroked Li Jue's head: "Father is the Crown Prince of Great Tang, and you are the Imperial Grandson of Great Tang; your name embodies my expectations."

"Not just you, your elder brother is the same; the character Xiang comes from the Yellow Emperor's House Classic."

"Thus, it encompasses all things, draws from a thousand sources, moves and changes without form, yet can transform all things; how great it is, the principle of yin and yang."

"This is the hope that your elder brother can understand the Dao of yin and yang, and realize that all things in the world have two sides, so that when encountering matters, he can view them from multiple perspectives."

Li Jue revealed a bewildered expression: "Father, I don't understand."

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand, just remember it."

Li Jue nodded vigorously: "I will definitely remember."

Li Chengqian slowly stood up, looked at Su Xi with a face full of disdain, and spoke in a sarcastic tone:

"Your ancestor Su Wu, a Guannei Marquis of the Han, oh my, how impressive! You haven't even read the Great Yu's Counsel."

"If I were Su Wu, I fear I would be angered back to life."

Watching Li Chengqian's wretched expression, Su Xi nearly bit through her back molars; if her upbringing hadn't forbidden her from hitting people, she would certainly have pounced on Li Chengqian and kicked him a few times right then.

"My Lord, I have remembered today's events!"

"Remember if you want, do you think I'm afraid of you? Hmph!"

Su Xi picked up Li Jue and turned to leave; at this moment, she did not want to see Li Chengqian's face at all.

Li Xiang, standing to the side, saw this scene and also wanted to quietly slip away, but was called out by Li Chengqian:

"Where do you think you're going? Your younger brother was bullied, and you don't even know how to stand up for him?"

"Stand up for him? Beat up Boyue?"

"The child is teachable!"

Li Chengqian nodded with satisfaction: "Next time you run into that little bastard Li Xin, go straight up and beat him, did you remember?"

"Ah?"

Li Xiang exclaimed: "Father, Fourth Uncle only has this one son, and he treasures him more than his own eyes."

"What are you afraid of? I told you to beat him, so beat him; why so much nonsense?"

"However, beating him also requires timing; wait until your Fourth Uncle comes to find me again, then you can find an opportunity to beat Li Xin at any time."

"If your Fourth Uncle hasn't come to find me, you will let him off for now."

"But..."

"But my foot, I told you to do it, so stop with the nonsense!"